Fandom Pokémon: Shattered World (Kanto IC Posting)

[ChoShadow]

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DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD UNLESS GIVEN PERMISSION!!
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DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD UNLESS GIVEN PERMISSION!!
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Date: August 8, 2017
Location: Viridian City, Kanto Region
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It was a rather cloudy morning, and Fall was never her favorite season to begin with.

Josephine Falenas, known locally around the Kanto Region as the Black Rose, sat beneath a tree letting the cool run through her hair. The temperature was not bitterly cold, but not exactly comfortable either. According to her phone the temperature was currently around 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Quite chilly, but for Viridian City at this time of year that was a fairly warm morning.

She was just outside the city proper watching the cloudy sky while waiting for her... friend(?)... Tomoya Akabane, to return from a brief shopping trip.

He spent yesterday working as a bartender for a local brewery. He was just old enough to do that, and the owner was initially hesitant until he proved his age via his Trainer ID in his Pokédex. The work earned him enough to splurge a bit on new Poké Balls and a few improvements on his camping gear while Josephine kicked back and spent the day by herself.

Josephine sighed as the breeze began to die down and a few little slits opened up in the clouds letting the sunlight pour through.

"... Not a bad view, I guess." She mumbled.

Indeed it wasn't a bad view. The landscape beyond Viridian City was nothing but beautiful rolling hills and light forests with mountains in the distance. The tallest mountain to the West was the Indigo Plateau, home of Kanto's Elite Four and its current Pokémon League Champion. It was quite the majestic sight to see it in the background looming over the city like a guardian of sorts.

Josephine sighed again, closing her eyes and resting her chin on her forearms as they wrapped around her knees.

"That was quite the sigh," came a voice to her right.

She slid one eye open, and lo and behold Tomoya had returned. He wore a big smile and his backpack was now full of new supplies. So much so that the change in the backpack's size from before he left for his shopping spree was quite apparent.

"Did you get everything you needed?" She asked flatly.

He nodded.

"Yup! I'm good to go! So shall we head off to Pallet Town? The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get you your Pokémon Trainer's License and your first Pokémon!" He said excitedly.

"That's presuming, of course, that I pass the test he gives me. I haven't exactly studied for it you know." She retorted.

"Oh don't worry about it. It's basically a questionnaire. They ask a bunch of common sense and basic knowledge questions to see if you're ready to become a Trainer. You'll be fine."

She huffed through her nose.

"We'll see." She said as she stood up and brushed herself off.

She wore a simple gray tank top beneath a black overcoat. The coat was fine cloth, one of the few keepsakes she had from her time with her mother which helped keep her grounded while she was away from home. She wore black pants as well, and over them knee-high dark brown boots. Since it was a cold morning, she wore charcoal gray gloves as well.

Tomoya was a bit more simplistic. Despite the cold he was A-Okay to wear a deep crimson red t-shirt, brown belt, black pants, and white tennis shoes. For whatever reason Tomoya never seemed to get cold unless it was 30 degrees Fahrenheit or below which Josephine was a bit jealous of. She wasn't letting him see it, but she was freezing despite her overcoat and gloves. The cold cut right through her.

"Let's get a move on!" Tomoya finally said as he started down the road towards Pallet Town.

Josephine sighed and began following, keeping her hands tucked in her pockets with a light frown on her face.

"What's up?" Tomoya inquired.

"Nothing."

"Oh come on. Nobody wears a frown like that when it's "nothing"."

"I said it's nothing." She barked.

"Sheesh! Testy much?" He asked.

"... I'm not a morning person." She replied.

"Was that so hard to tell me?" He asked with a chuckle.

She grumbled a bit under her breath.

"Come now Josephine. That frown and the grumbling don't suit that beautiful face. Try a smile instead!" He urged.

It was true. She was beautiful. Much more so than she gave herself credit for. At only 20 years of age, she was a spectacular specimen who looked much more mature than her age would suggest. Perhaps it was the stoic facial expression she always wore, or it could have been a combination of that and her other assets. She had a full chest, flat firm stomach, taught round posterior, long legs, and even longer beautiful dark indigo blue hair.

If she smiled, she'd light up any room she was in... But she never smiled.

Josephine continued to mumble under her breath with Tomoya out front continuing to taunt her about how it didn't suit her to be doing so. She ignored him. Talking to herself was a way to pass time and, if she was at least being honest with herself, it was comforting. Sometimes she just wanted to vocalize about some things to ease her mental stress. But since Tomoya was always around now it was difficult to find time to just talk about anything to let off steam. She had to mumble or whisper everything to prevent him from hearing it.

And so the two walked onward. A rather awkward pair. Tomoya, the bright and cheerful young man. Josephine, the Black Rose who never really spoke to anyone with Tomoya being a rare exception. For anyone who recognized her along the way, they'd be more than a bit curious as to why she was walking with Tomoya. Nobody would ever think she was with him as his girlfriend or anything. She wasn't the type. A friend? No. She didn't have friends.

Thinking about what others would think of seeing her with him like this only irked her all the more as they continued along their way.

 

[ChoShadow]

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Date: August 9, 2017​

Location: Route 1, Kanto Region​

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Route 1 was a long but beautiful road leading from the town of Pallet to Viridian City. The entire thing usually took between three full days on foot and at least 6 to 8 hours by car. Thankfully the foot path and the automobile roads were separated so they didn't interfere with one another which let the Trainers who preferred being on foot the time to enjoy the scenery without noisy cars everywhere. It also helped to prevent the Pokémon who lived nearby from being disturbed and pushed out of their natural territory.

Today was a brighter day with far fewer clouds than the day previous, and Tomoya was enjoying it immensely. Josephine was enjoying it as well not that she'd let him see as much. But inside she was grateful for the sun's warmth and the lack of a chilling breeze cutting through her body.

Along the pathways they saw numerous Pokémon going about their business. A few packs of rodent-like Pokemon such as Rattata, Zigzagoon, and Buneary were out in the tall grassy areas. A few flocks of flying types such as Pidgey, Pidove, Taillow, and Spearow could be seen flying overhead or resting in the trees. And many more were out in the fields, hills, and even a couple visible on nearby small mountains such as Mankey and Geodude.

It was quite the lively route.

Tomoya, being a Trainer, was excited to see them and eager to capture a few for himself. But first he wanted to get Josephine to Professor Oak's place to receive her first Pokémon. He had tried asking her about which Pokémon she'd choose since she could order just about any Pokémon she wanted. But she remained mum as to what she was going to choose. He even teased that she had no idea what she wanted, but she countered saying that she knew perfectly well what Pokémon she was going to ask the Professor for.

Along their path they would stop to rest every couple of hours, and Tomoya would chat with her about being a Trainer and answer what few questions she asked him about how to best care for her new Pokémon. Even if she was an ice queen with people, she expressed mild interest in being different when it came to her Pokémon.

And so the two of them continued their travels throughout the next few days before finally arriving at Professor Oak's laboratory.

*knock*

*knock*

"Come in!" Came a voice from inside.

Tomoya opened the door and walked right in with Josephine walking in behind him.

"Hey there Professor! I've brought Josephine!" He called.

The Professor was in the back sitting at his desk writing something down as the two youths approached.

"Ah, welcome Tomoya. It's been a while hasn't it?" Oak asked.

"Yep! Sure has! And Venom evolved into Golbat not long ago!... Anyway, Josephine is here to get her first Pokémon, and she says she knows exactly what she wants so it should be an easy process!"

"Haha! Hold your horses young man. Remember she has to pass the Pokémon Trainer's License Test." Oak replied.

Tomoya chuckled and sat down in a chair nearby while Josephine was sat down to take a test, which is apparently what the Professor had been writing down. He had been signing the documents that were her test in preparation for submission to the Pokémon League. The process was automatic and took only a handful of minutes once he scanned them and sent them in. So it was time.

Josephine was handed the test, and she began writing. A total of around twenty minutes went by before she put down her pencil and told the Professor she was finished. He took the documents without a word, scanned them, and mailed them to the Pokémon League.

Tomoya was rather eager to see the results and sat nearby tapping his foot on the ground rapidly while Josephine sat in her chair with her hands in her lap.

*PING*

"Ah. The results are in..." The Professor said as he walked over to his computer to review the verdict.

(To be continued...)

 

[ChoShadow]

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Date: August 9, 2017​

Location: Route 1, Kanto Region
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Josephine watched as the Professor sat across from her on the table she was at, and smiled.

"... You passed with flying colors, Ms. Falenas. Congratulations!" The Professor said with enthusiasm.

Josephine cracked a half smirk in response while Tomoya jumped from his seat and cheered fro her which made her blush ever so slightly as she looked away in embarrassment for his behavior.

"So, you say that you know exactly what Pokémon you want. Correct?" The Professor asked.

Josephine nodded.

"Very well. Then please, take this." He said, handing her a tablet.

"Please select which Pokémon you desire from the list provided on this device. Depending on which affiliated Breeder has the Pokémon available, it may take a few days for your new Pokémon to arrive. Hopefully you have accommodations nearby. If not, the woods surrounding Pallet are a very safe place and I'm sure Mr. Akabane here will be happy to keep you company." He said, glancing to Tomoya.

Tomoya winked and gave a thumbs up.

"You bet Professor! I'll take good care of her." He replied.

Professor Oak laughed heartily.

"Very well then. Please take your time, Ms. Falenas. When you're ready, make your selection and place the tablet down on-"

*Thunk*

The tablet was placed on the table and Josephine sat again with her hands in her lap.

"... Already?" Oak asked.

Josephine nodded.

"My, my. When you said you knew who you wanted, you were not joking I see." He laughed.

"Very well. Please take this as a temporary means of communication. This device will flash red and let out a beeping sound when your Pokémon has arrived and you can come pick it up then. At the same time, your License should be ready as well and I will make sure you receive both at the same time." Oak said.

Josephine nodded and bowed as she stood up from her chair, and then turned to leave with Tomoya hot on her heels. As they walked outside the Professor could hear Tomoya asking what Pokémon she chose, but silence was his reply. The Professor chuckled as they disappeared around the corner.

"That poor girl." He laughed.

Back on the path the two young Trainers sat down under a few trees, and Tomoya was still trying to get it out of Josephine who she picked. But she remained as tight lipped as ever before closing her eyes and taking a nap. Tomoya sighed and laid back against a tree trunk watching the clouds roll by.

"Well... I'll see what she chose when she lets it out of the Poké Ball." He assured himself.

With that he smiled and closed his eyes, falling asleep in short order.

Things were getting more exciting! Josephine was going to be a real licensed Trainer and receive her first Pokémon!!

He was really happy for her!

 

[ChoShadow]

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Date: August 12, 2017​

Location: Route 1, Kanto Region
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The day had arrived.

Josephine's Pokémon Licsense (a.k.a. her Pokédex) had arrived at Professor Oak's lab as well as her first Pokémon.

So when she and Tomoya arrived at the lab, the latter was practically jumping off the walls with excitement while Josephine remained completely poised. He asked how she could possibly be so calm, and she replied thusly...

"It's just a Pokémon."

Tomoya proceeded to begin lecturing her about how it was not just a Pokémon and that her starter was so much more, but that's when Professor Oak arrived and silenced him.

"Josephine, I'd like to again congratulate you on passing your test with flying colors and earning your Pokémon Trainer's License. This device," he said, handing her the Pokédex... "... is called a Pokédex. This device will record vital information on all the Pokémon you see or capture from this day forward. It has everything you need to stay safe and secure on your journey, so treat it well and it will take care of you in kind... Do you have any questions before I give you your first Pokémon?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Very well.. Then here you are." He said, handing her a Poké Ball.

She looked at the ball as she held it in her hand and Tomoya was bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting to see if she'd give more of a reaction, but she never did.

"Your first Pokémon, especially when they're a bit younger like this one, will be difficult to raise at first and require great patience on your part. Do not get frustrated if it takes a while for it to understand what you expect. Just relax and take baby steps and it will become a vital part of your life in no time."

"You can say that again Professor!" Tomoya cheered.

Josephine bowed to the Professor and proceeded to leave the establishment, but was stopped by one of Professor Oak's aids on the way out.

"Before you leave, take these with you. You'll need them to capture your first set of Pokémon." She said, handing Josephine five Poké Balls.

"These are the only free Poké Balls you will ever receive unless you happen to find some out in the world dropped by careless Trainers. It happens, but is uncommon. So be sure to take daily work wherever and whenever you can afford to and build up some finances for your journey so you can buy more Poké Balls and restock on other necessities... Good luck." She said before returning to work.

Josephine and Tomoya left the lab and walked for about an hour with Tomoya expressing his excitement and eagerness to see what Pokémon she picked out. Josephine finally grew tired of his prying and decided to just show him to shut him up. She grabbed the ball from her waist and tapped the button one time to open it and release the Pokémon within. A brief flash of white light emerged from the ball which congregated nearby and formed into the shape of her first Pokémon.

As Tomoya watched the shape come together before the light faded and the Pokémon stood in its place, he was actually kind of surprised.

"Wow... Didn't see that one coming!" He said.

... It was Tropius.

A young Tropius which was only around two thirds its estimated full size, standing at around 4' 6" or so. All in all it was a cute Pokémon and definitely suited Josephine in some odd way.

When Tropius opened its eyes and looked around, it sniffed the air and began looking between Tomoya and Josephine. When Tomoya made eye contact, he smiled and jerked his head towards Josephine a few times trying to get it to look at her. When it finally did, Josephine watched it silently as it stared back at her.

"Soooo........ Are you going to say anything to it?" He asked.

Josephine remained silent and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Like what?" She asked.

"I don't know... Anything! How about a name? Does it have a name? Is it male or female?" He asked in return.

She looked at Tropius and took a step forward. Tropius tilted its head a bit and Josephine held out her hand with her palm up inviting it to come and sniff her hand. It did so. Tropius came forward and sniffed her hand a few times before looking up at her and taking a few more steps forward coming a bit close for comfort. Josephine stepped back slightly and blinked as it lifted its head and started sniffing her chest, stomach... *ahem*... private area. She practically jumped back when it sniffed there.

"Excuse you!" She said sharply with red cheeks.

Tropius looked confused and tilted its head before coming forward and trying to sniff her again. Josephine put a hand out against its head to stop it causing it to look up at her in confusion.

"Just... Stay there for a moment please." She asked.

Tropius sat down looking at her expectantly.

"Nice! It did as you asked! Praise it!!" He whispered feverishly.

Josephine nodded with uncertainty and looked at Tropius.

"Um... Thanks for sitting down... Good girl." She finally said.

Tropius barked a little and started breathing out of her mouth, seemingly growing excited.

"Come back to your ball for a while... We'll spend some more time later." She said, recalling Tropius to her ball.

"So it's a girl eh? Nice! And she's so cute too! You made a good choice!" Tomoya said happily.

Josephine's cheeks were light pink as she looked away from him.

"Whatever." She replied.

Josephine now had her first Pokémon. A young female Tropius. It would be a lot of work to raise and train it, but Tomoya knew it would be worth it as did Josephine even if she would never admit it out loud.

Her journey had just begun in earnest!

 

[ChoShadow]

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Date: August 20, 2017
Location: Route 1, Kanto Region
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"You just won't let it go, will you?" Josephine asked with exasperation.

"Nnnnnnnnope!!" Tomoya countered.

Tomoya had been pestering Josephine day in and day out for the last week trying to get the name she had given to her Tropius, but to no avail. But his persistence was paying off. Josephine's will to resist telling him was weakening by the minute and she was this close to breaking. Tomoya seemed to be able to sense it as well, as he continued pushing and asking about the name.

"Just let it go Tomoya. You don't need to know her name... Why are you still following me anyway? You've already taken the time to teach me the basics, so why are you still here?" She asked.

Tomoya brushed off her comment.

"Oh never mind that." He said casually.

"Just tell me what her name is!! I want to be able to cheer her on when you battle with her!" He declared.

Josephine sighed.

"I give up..." She mumbled.

She sat down on a log beneath a tree, as they'd wandered off the beaten path looking for Pokémon whom Tropius would be able to stand against. Since she was young it would be dangerous for her to take on opponents which were larger or stronger than she was. Because of that, the pair continued to keep their eyes open for lesser opponents to test Tropius' skills on.

Tomoya sat down across from Josephine and smiled at her. He was met with a rather annoyed glare before she glanced off to the side to break eye contact with him.

"You seem a bit high strung. Want a shoulder massage?" He asked.

Josephine didn't even look at him.

"No." She replied flatly.

He sighed.

"Well, can't say I didn't try." He said.

Josephine leaned back and rested against the tree behind her while Tomoya stood up and kept an eye out for threats. He wasn't too worried since his own main Pokémon, Venom the Golbat, could likely take on any Pokémon which thought itself strong enough to take them on. He had a couple others in his team as well, but Venom was his go-to.

Josephine fell asleep before long and Tomoya stood guard, occasionally glancing over to her and smiling at how innocent and delicate she looked when she wasn't putting up a conscious guard. The soft expression on her face when she slept told him she was a much calmer, nicer person than she let on. He was trying to bring that side out, but she was more stubborn than anyone he'd ever met before. It would take a while to get there.

Meanwhile something watched them both from a tree nearby...

 

[Polyblank]

August 20, 2017.
Location: Route 3
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The mountainous sides of Mt moon rumbled, a massive roar echoing as rock burst from the sides, opening up a cave. Tumbling from the opening a man on a strange boat-like contraption began skidding down the side of the mountain. His shoulders had a tynamo and nincada on each, both frantically clicking as they tried to push him to go faster. Further back a Rhydon thundered out of the cave, looking down at the man in anger.

This probably wouldn't have happened, were it not for the fact that under his arm the man was holding a very frightened Aron, which was biting onto his arm and holding on for dear life. The Rhydon shook the cliff side, trying to crush the fragile sand striding boat which already wobbled dangerously on the rocky terrain. As the four passengers sped down the side of the mountain, the green rapidly approaching, it was all the normally silent trainer could do not to scream. He failed, naturally.

"MOTHER OF ARCEUS-!"
With a great bang he hit the treeline, the boat tipping to the side. The four passengers tumbled out, the largest rubbing his head irritably.
Atlas got up quickly, whistling. Almost on instinct his nincada and Tynamo whistled back, confirming their location. The Aron, still attached to his arm, made a sad whining sound. Atlas tried prying it off to little avail.

Deciding that he was better off cleaning himself off here then somewhere else he turned the boat upright. It was a bit damaged, the sail a tad torn and the wheels loose - but it'd work after a few repairs. Brushing himself off the teenager signalled the nincada back onto his shoulder, gesturing to it. An X-scissor motion on the nearby young tree would be all the firewood he'd need for tonight, and along with some sparks he'd have a camp in no time. Now all he needed was to calm this little beast... He regretted saving the Aron already.​

 

[ChoShadow]

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Date: August 20, 2017
Location: Route 1, Kanto Region​

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Night crept up on them slowly, and before they knew it the sun had descended beyond the horizon leaving the world in darkness. The twinkling of the stars overhead as well as the light of the now ascending moon was the only light they had to go by now, but it wasn't enough. The night was dark enough that they couldn't see much of anything and thus had to call it a night. Using a fire starter they managed to start a camp fire to keep warm and went to bed in their respective sleeping bags.

However Venom, Tomoya's trusty Golbat, was released to keep watch.

And throughout the night it seemed all was well until Venom sensed something nearby. He flew overhead to try and get a better view but could see nothing at first. But he could hear something. A tiny rustling in the tree below him alerted him to a potential threat, so he raced back to Tomoya and woke up him by bouncing up and down on his sleeping bag.

"Ugh... God... I'm up, I'm up already... What is it?" Tomoya grumbled.

Venom chipped and chirped urgently gesturing with his eyes towards the tree in question which woke Tomoya up in no time as he registered that this was a problem.

"... Go wake Josephine." He whispered.

Venom hopped over to Josephine's sleeping bag and gently brushed her face with his wing.

"I see how it is you scum bag. Giving the lady the gentle treatment while your master gets the rude awakening." He grumbled as he fumbled through his bag for his flashlight.

Josephine woke by suddenly grabbing Venom's wing as her eyes shot open. It scared Venom enough that he jumped up and back a little, but Josephine's grip on his wing kept him from going anywhere. He settled down, and she released his wing.

"Sorry about that Venom," she said calmly.

She rose from her sleeping bag just as Tomoya found his flash light and pointed it at the tree Venom had motioned towards. Josephine walked up beside him, both with serious looks on their faces.

"What is it?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know." He whispered back.

"What? You didn't teach him how to relay a threat?" She asked.

"Hey! There's only so much I can teach a Pokémon who's mouth is always hanging open you know!" He whispered forcefully in rebuttal.

The tree rustled again just before the leaves began exploding outwards. Venom instinctively dove in-between the threat and his Trainer and suffered the consequences for his heroism. Whatever it was drove a pair of fangs into Venom's shoulder just above his left wing and pinned him to the ground. Venom let out a shriek of pain as Tomoya shined his light onto the threat revealing a rather oversized Ariados now chewing on Venom's shoulder.

"Venom!" Tomoya yelled.

This wasn't good...

 

[Polyblank]

Kanto, Route 3 (Off path)
August 21, 2017.
---




I'm not sure of what to do with it.

Atlas had lived for a good - he thought perhaps five - years with only the two Pokemon he had. The grey beast - he had yet to hear it make an identifiable sound - was rather timid, yet seemed calm when approached slowly. It preferred to stay away from the fire's edge but close enough to stay warm, making him believe it wasn't a ground or rock type as he'd believed. Yet it didn't seem as wary of the man made fire as the 'Cada had been when he'd first met it, leading him to believe it was somehow a combination of types...curious. Atlas wasn't sure why it stayed nearby. Perhaps here was near the creature's home. He hadn't been particularly loving to it, there could be no confusion there - The rather pained bruises on his arm could attest to the creature's distrust. Perhaps it desired company? Something to keep it safe? Regardless, if it was still here in the morning he would bring it along for a while - provided it didn't want to leave. Atlas sighed, averting his gaze from the Aron to the distant horizon. The many small smoke stacks and far away lights made him ponder the idea of meeting other humans, if briefly. He had seen distant towns but desired to keep his distance for a while. He didn't know this land, nor the people inhabiting it. Their strange laws and rules could be dangerous, or they could have slavers and other dangerous folk. He knew his Pokemon were strong, but didn't consider them his defence - Why should they fight for him? He should be able to protect his Pokemon, his family as they were.

As the teenager leaned backwards, (Rolling the urn to the side, lest he receive a nasty shock from the sleeping tympole) he debated keeping watch for longer. His nincada tended to wake up incredibly early to forage around, and would warn him of danger in a few hours. For a couple of the hours of night perhaps he could take a break - if to be more alert tomorrow. Atlas leaned back and rolled his coat into a pillow, The only sounds of the night being the gentle breathing of his companions and the wind in the sail of the sand yacht, tied to the trees nearby. To these familiar sounds in an unfamiliar land, Atlas slept.​

 

[explosiveKitten]

A few days prior, a ship arrived in the harbor at Vermilion City, and a young woman on that same ship arrived in the region. People looked at her as she mumbled to herself, scribbling in a leather bound notebook. One of her many Pokémon stood beside her, her faithful Absol Graceon. He sat beside his trainer as she stood leaning against the railing on the upper deck.

"When we finally get to land I'll take the Diglett tunnel over to Route 2 and cut straight through there to Pallet Town... you ready for that buddy?" She said, looking down at her friend and giving him a light tap on his back before rubbing his head. He blinked at her touch and leaned into her hand when she started to pet his head. The young woman grinned as she looked at him, then stared out across the ocean. Somewhere out there was her query. Somewhere...

As planned, upon touching down on land, Cross made her way through Vermilllion, she passed through the Diglett Cave, her Meganium making swift work of any Diglett that came lunging out of the dark. Soon she would arrive at Pallet Town, wherein she immediately just strolled over to Pokémon Professor's lab, recalled her two Pokémon to their Pokéballs and proceeded to let herself in.

"Heeeyyyy, Professor Oak, what's going on?"
The older Professor looked over at the young woman standing in his doorway , and at first he looked shocked, before the shock was wiped away and he flashed a grin, standing up from his work and straightening his back out as the young woman walked over.
"Ahhh, young Cross. Your father told me you were coming, I just didn't expect you so soon-"
"Lemme guess," she started, crossing her arms and leaning on one hip, "He literally only sent you an email an hour ago because he completely forgot to do it because he got caught up in his field work?"
"... W-Well... er, yes. You really do know the man, don't you?"
"I've lived with him for a very long time, Professor." She said rather simply, earning a chuckle from the older man. "Sooo, I'm going to take that as you have in no way shape or form assembled all the files I asked for?"
"Right on the money, young lady."
"That's fine." She said, looking around the lab with mild interest. "I don't want you to feel rushed or anything, so I think I'll just take the time to go up to Pewter City and visit the museum up there, look around, maybe go into Mount. Moon and scope it out. I'll be coming back through when I make my way to Cinnabar Island, so I'll stop by then, 'Kay?"
"Well, that should take a good chunk of time, so, yes, that does sound good-"
"Great! Greeeeat, now listen," she said, already backing away towards the door, "I got lots of stuff to do, as much as I'd love to chat, my dear dad warned me how much you like to talk, so I'm just gonna go now, BYEEEE!"
"Wait- What?"
And with that, she was gone, like dust in the wind, leaving one very confused Professor Oak.

"Alright, sooo now that I've settled that, we can just head right on over to Pewter City. Woo!" She threw her hands up, glanced around at the people looking at her, then suddenly realized she was, in fact, talking to herself. At that, she let her hands fall back to her sides, and giggled nervously before shoving her hands into her hoodie pocket and walking off.
It was starting to get dark when she arrived in Pallet Town, and by the time she left it was decently dark. But she had to get through to Viridian city and check into her hotel, so she had to go.
Rather than go alone, she popped out her Pokémon who had the best night-vision - Luke the Skarmory. "You are my eyes tonight, bird boy. Stay close, alright?" The steel bird blinked his yellow, faintly glowing eyes and fixed his gaze ahead, before the two set off in the direction of Viridian City.

However, somewhere along the way both Luke and her heard screeching coming from somewhere off the beaten path, along with shouts of alarm. Oh crap, was someone getting attacked?! She sure as hell wouldn't ignore it, that's for sure! She sent her Skarmory in ahead of her....

Luke flew through the trees, only bothering to dodge out the way of branches because he didn't want to disturb any sleeping Pokémon. When he came upon the scene, he found a couple of kids- definitely younger then his own trainer- and a bat being attacked by a giant spider. A BUG. He fully extended his blade-like wings and gave a sharp cry, before diving down and landing with his talons dug into the abdomen of the spider. He dug with his claws before proceeding to begin viciously Pecking at the bug's head, till it released the bat and seemed prepared to run. Once it did begin to flee, the steel bird hopped off its back and chased it further away. A couple minutes later, the bird returned to the campsite, looked at the Golbat, nudged it to it's feet before fixing the two trainers with a yellow glare and settled down to wait. When the sound of someone wadding through the underbrush erupted nearby, he looked up and stood up tall, walking towards the noise, only for the green-clad young woman to appear moments later with a petit pink Pokémon beside her.
"Ah... there you are." She said, looking at the Skarmory and kneeling down to inspect his feathers. Meanwhile, the Espeon looked about and straight over to the two trainers, sat very promptly in front of both and, once she had settled herself down, she stuck out her right front paw and looked at the two expectantly.

"... so hey," Cross said, pulling a blue berry out of her bag and feeding it to her Skarmory, she glanced at the two kids, "You kids okay? Didn't get hurt, didya?" She continues to watch them, then seems to notice her Espeon waving her paw about and added, "Heh... she wants to shake her paw. She won't stop flailing at you until you do."

ChoShadow

 

[DemetrioMachete]

Viridian City, August 20th, 2017​

The sounds of a violin broke the relative silence of the curb nearest to the Pokemon Center. There were a few people gathered around the source of the music, a young man with long hair, clad in outdated green clothing. His eyes were shut tight, focusing purely on the dexterity of his hands into creating sound based art. A hat lay at his feet, turned over to form a sort of bowl for donations to be made. Above his head floated a Magnemite, eyeing the passerby curiously, mincing about in circles around the Bard's head.

When the violin played its final note, the young man bowed to his audience of seven, as they granted him a small applause, and tossed what money they could spare into his hat. When they finally dispersed, the young bard took up his hat, counted up his earnings for the day, nodding in approval. He then looked to his floating metal companion, uttering what would be his first words spoken since the moon rose that day.

"Good news, my friend! We are dining, tomorrow!" His voice was quite tenor, and the accent he bore was nothing quite heard of throughout Kanto, or at least, between Pallet Town and Viridian. It was thick in contrast to his high pitched voice, with unusual differences in his uttered vowels. The Magnemite, however, understood it clearly. It beeped at him, seeming to spin around on the spot which it floated. The young man seemed to understand what it meant by this.

"Right right.. you don't eat in the traditional sense. No mouth an' all. Don't worry, though. We'll find something before we retire tonight, eh? Monty Rogers always looks after his flock. Come along!" The young man, Monty, was his name, beckoned the Magnemite to follow him. He would go through garbage bins and alleyways, looking for some discarded electronic he could use to feed his unusual Pokemon with. Scouring through the trash, he lucked out on finding a few discarded AA batteries, which he haphazardously tossed into Magnemite's magnetic field. They stuck to it, and Monty witnessed a brief flash of electricity flow from the batteries into its metal frame. He knew this wouldn't be enough for it, though; and so he reluctantly made his way to the nearest Market still open at this hour. He withdrew Magnemite into its Pokeball, aware that many people would get angry if it sucked the power right out of their store. His trip was rather quick, purchasing a 24 pack of more batteries, leaving just as swiftly as he arrived. He would have to make these last until tomorrow at least. Deciding an Inn was against his interests, Monty left Viridian City, and set foot onto Route 1, deciding he would camp there for the night. Half an hour into his walk, after he no longer saw the nightly lights of Viridian, he let Magnemite out of its ball, and, after it dismissed the surprise of its sudden change of surroundings, it eyed the pack of batteries Monty had, hungrily beeping in its desire to siphon their energy. Monty held up the pack, then gestured to the terrain around them.

"Keep watch, scare off any baddies. You'll get double the batteries tonight." With that order given, Monty set to work building his tent. Magnemite, successfully bribed by the promise of a doubly feeding meal, floated above the tent, circling around, fueled by its desire to keep the man who fed it safe. It began by using its Metal Sound, believing it's irritable ringing would scare off any nearby Pokemon.

 

[Polyblank]

Kanto, 3-Viridian City Forest (Off path)
August 21, 2017.
7AM
---

Into the green yonder

Atlas held the Sails of the strider strong, his brow furrowing as he progressed. Were it not for the sleek design of the boat and the great strength of the wooden wheels, he would have been stuck in the long plains grass as soon as he'd entered. Even still, he was having difficulty progressing. His Nincada had attempted to X-scissor the grass in front but had run out of steam about halfway through the field, Leaving a third of the journey slowed to a painful slog. The treeline began again in the distance, the stoney natural pathing seeming like a godsend in comparison to...this pile of trubbish. The silver thing (Which he'd identified as an "Aron" from the calls) was heavier then he'd expected and had weighed the boat down considerably. Atlas had debated throwing it off, but the thing was amusing enough to stay, the childish wonder it approached everything with rather amusing. Atlas's journey neared an end as he hit the forest, the rough pathing speeding him up considerably. Had there been no wind today, they wouldn't have even gotten a third of the distance - A break from his trend of bad luck, it seemed.

"..Is that..."
A small city stretched out on the horizon. The buildings were modest yet impressive, the population large but welcoming. Through the limited visibility of the forest he could make out blobs of people moving together. Then their faces, friendly and warm to one another. Then-
*SMACK*
..."Ow...Sweet Arceus- Oh screw me."

Atlas, distracted by the locals, had let the boat hit a large uprooted tree. The front of the boat, splintering from the force, Came to a complete stop as the boy and his three pokemon flew forward. The aron hit the ground, mostly unfazed. The tympole levitated - unaffected. His Nincada however hit the ground harshly, injuring a leg and crying out in animistic clicks. Atlas slowly strode over to the 'cada, his face saddening. Picking up the pokemon slowly, he looked around. They'd crashed on the literal edge of the forest, flying onto the city's grounds. Thankfully he had landed behind a red building, or someone might have seen his less then glamorous entry. Atlas hopped over the log, wincing as his legs made the jump - he'd definitely have a few bruises. The boat was smashed on the nose- it'd need a good week of repair before it could function again - Perfect. He sighed, leaning against the hull, debating what to do. Atlas had no money and he doubted the locals would offer him anything for free. With luck he could look at whatever goods they sold and see if he could manage to "borrow" an item or two from anywhere he liked. Determined, Atlas got up and gestured to his pokemon. The aron stood up making an excited barking-sound, the little stub of a tail wagging on it merrily. The tympole happily dove into his shirt, the slimy feeling of the small creature a familiar and cooling sensation. His nincada sat on his shoulders, resting the injured leg above his neck. Atlas was ready to go against whatever civilisation had to offer, it couldn't be harder then the desert, right?

Atlas felt out of place as soon as he stepped into the crowd. For one, he had sand stuck to most of his clothing, making him look like more of a hobo then he already was. The boy's desert mask and veil were also rather ridiculous in the green city, earning him a few amused and puzzled looks from walking citizens. He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. If he didn't look shady before, he certainly did now.

Atlas slowly made his way up the street, unknowing of the officer down the block slowly moving toward him...

​

 

[ChoShadow]

Tomoya and Josephine had been taken completely off guard by the Ariados as it leapt from the trees and dug its fangs into Venom's shoulder. Its front two legs had pinned his wings while the other legs stabilized it and pushed against the ground behind it acting as leverage to help it maintain its position.

Tomoya wasn't about to let this happen without payback, but before he could do much of anything something appeared from out of the night at great speeds. It slammed into the Ariados and began ferociously pecking at its head until it let go of Venom and proceeded to drive it away. In the fire light it had highly reflective feathers which spoke of its steel type which meant it could only be one Pokemon: Skarmory.

Tomoya and Josephine watched as the Skarmory drove the Ariados away before returning to help Venom get to his feet. It then hopped away a bit returning to the side of a new figure which had appeared. A woman.

"Ah... There you are." She said as the Skarmory made it to her side.

When the woman addressed them as "kids," Josephine frowned while Tomoya couldn't help but chuckle.

"We're fine, thanks..." He replied as he recalled Venom to his Poke Ball.

Josephine remained silent, however her eyes darted to a new figure which was sitting close to her and raising its paw. An Espeon. The woman said the Espeon wouldn't stop waving its paw until they shook it, but Josephine wasn't about to humor a Pokemon she didn't know. But Tomoya was far more amiable and knelt down to gently grab Espeon's paw.

"Nice to meet you!" He said to Espeon.

After he shook Espeon's paw he stood up.

"I'm Tomoya. And this delightful lady behind me is Josephine." He said.

He knelt down again looking at Espeon.

"Please don't hold her silence against her. Josephine has a hard time with meeting new people, believe me I know." He said to the Eevee evolution.

Josephine kicked him in the rear, almost causing him to fall forward. However he caught himself with his hands and stood up, rubbing his back side.

"See what I mean? She's just shy is all." He said with a smile.

Josephine crossed her arms, clearly not amused by his words..

"It's not new people I can't stand, Tomoya. It's men like you." She retorted.

"Ouch." He replied with a chuckle.

Josephine looked to the new arrival and her Skarmory.

"Thanks for helping Venom back there. He and Tomoya owe you one." She said.

explosiveKitten

 

[explosiveKitten]

The Espeon looked pleased and cooed when the boy shook her paw, but gave a look of general distaste when the young woman refused. Her eyes narrowed and her forked tail lashed irritably. Only then did she hear the boy explain that the young woman named Josephine was just a sour sort in general and after a moment's pause, her pretty pink expression curled into a devilish grin, if a Pokémon such as herself could grin.
This was the "Challenge Accepted" face, as Cross liked to call it.
The Espeon then stood up, scooted even closer to the point where she was practically sitting in the woman's lap and began to wave the paw around in her face. She was going to get this handshake, gosh diddly darn it!

"Ah, well, nice to meet you two." She got up from caring for her Skarmory and dusted off her knees before looking at the pair, "The name's Cross. This here is Luke," She pat the Steel bird on the beak, then gestured at the Espeon harassing Josephine, "and that's Cherry. I told you she won't give up."

"Yeah, I'm just glad Luke got here in time. That was a pretty mean looking A-Ariados, hehe, and I certainly couldn't have dealt with it myself. Which reminds me," she pulled the backpack off her back and flipped it open before plunging her forearm into it, sticking out her tongue and chewing on it a tad whilst she mumbled various things to herself. Things the lines of "Where did that thing go?" and "I swear it was in this pocket" and "Goddamnit why can I never find anything?"

"Aha!" She remarked in triumph, pulling a Hyper Potion out of her bag and looking it over, before glancing up at Tomoya and saying, "Hey, catch." She then tossed the thing to him underhand and began to rearrange her backpack. "That should help your little friend there." She remarked, looking at him as she threw the bag onto her shoulders again.

"So. What are a bunch of kids like you doing out in the middle of the woods. It's dangerous, even for registered Trainers,"

ChoShadow

 

[ChoShadow]

Tomoya nodded in thanks to Cross.

"Nice to meet you Cross." He said.

He glanced back to see Josephine sitting down with Espeon, Cherry, as her name was, waving her paw around Josephine's face and he chuckled.

"You may as well just shake her paw already and get it over with. You don't have anything against Cherry do you?" He asked.

Josephine was giving Cherry a blank stare before glancing up at Tomoya with clear irritation in her eyes.

"No, I don't." She replied flatly.

She looked down at Cherry, picked her up, and set her aside before standing up and brushing her legs off. Espeon had very, very short fine fur and they didn't shed much. But here or there a tiny silver sliver could be seen in Josephine's pants which she tried to rub and brush out. She wasn't much for animal fur. In fact she despised it for... personal reasons.

She looked at Cherry.

"Nice to meet you Cherry, but I'm not shaking your paw. I have my reasons as to why, so I hope you'll understand and kindly drop the subject. Thank you." She said calmly.

Tomoya frowned.

"That seems cold, Josephine. Even for you." He said, showing the first signs of irritation she'd ever seen from him.

"I said I have my reasons, Tomoya. If you can't respect that, then do what I've asked you for the last few weeks and just go about your own journey. I've learned enough from you to get by. I just need to find a better camp spot." She barked at him.

Tomoya flinched a bit, sighing before shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.

"Sorry about her Cross. Josephine's always like this." He said.

"Anyway. To answer your question we were on our way back to Viridian City until nightfall when we decided to pitch camp. But that Ariados came from out of nowhere. Josephine just got her first Pokémon, you see, and we were going to see if we could find some weak wild Pokémon for her new partner to test her skills on. After all one of the best teachers in the world is experience. Know what I mean?" He asked.

explosiveKitten

 

[DemetrioMachete]

Monty set fast to the tent, aligning the poles as best as he could; no easy task as just one man. Once it had been erected, the next step was to hammer stakes into the dirt, to prevent it from blowing away. The Magnemite's Metal Sound continued, not bothering Monty in the slightest. He had heard it too many times for it to be anything beyond simply irritating.

The final stake was planted, and Monty's tent was complete. A quick scouting of his darkening surroundings yielded no wild, attacking Pokemon.

"Voila!" He cried out, proud of his work. "I dare say this is perhaps my finest tent ever established. Better yet I've done it all myself. All that frustration truly pays off in the end. Now as promised, for your protection..." the Metal Sound stopped, as Magnemite turned to Monty as a Growlithe would a steak. He tore open the pack, scooping up a handful of fully charged batteries.

"We've got eight, coming your way! Pa-choo! Pa-tang! Wha-chaw!" With each sound effect he formed, he tossed a single battery into his Pokemon's magnetic field, watching with prideful glee as the batteries stuck to it, greedily sucking in all of their strength. As Magnemite fed, Monty set his sleeping bag out inside the tent, though not quite ready to sleep yet. He clambered out, seating himself on the ground, as he prepared to play. His violin was not the only instrument he carried; for lo, he had a flute!

The flute met his lips, and, with a breath and the dexterous twitching of his fingers, began to play music into the quiet atmosphere of Route 1. It was no masterpiece, mostly just practicing to see which notes could string together reasonably.

 

[ChoShadow]

After their rather harrowing night, Josephine and Tomoya managed to get a decent night's sleep after Cross and Cherry bade them farewell and moved on. The next few days for the pair were full of discussions, most of them surprisingly sparked by Josephine. She wanted to know what Tomoya's thoughts were on how to prevent that kind of thing from happening again. Tomoya shared a few ideas, but it was Josephine who suggested the winning stratagem.

She proposed that Tomoya teach Venom how to fly higher into the sky and actively scan the environment for anything out of place. Flying closer to the tree tops had its advantages, but overall it was less effective because Venom could only see what was right in front of it instead of seeing the big picture. On top of that, Venom needed to learn how to dive at a moment's notice if it saw a problem so that he could wake the two of them and they could get ready. Venom hadn't ever flown too far above tree level before, so training it to fly higher up into the sky and dive down would be interesting. They couldn't fly, and Venom was a little slow sometimes to pick up on new skill sets.

It was a stratagem which would require a great deal of time and patience, but one which would serve them very well if Venom could perfect the method.

Tomoya agreed, but he'd need Josephine's help since she came up with the method and seemed to know more about how to accomplish the goal than he did. Reluctantly, she agreed. She wanted to spend more time with Tropius, not that she'd let him know. But she didn't mind helping him out all that much. It was for her own safety as much as his. So whatever...

 

[DemetrioMachete]

The night went by quietly for Monty. He played his music in peace, subtly trying a tune that would fit with Magnemite's metallic ringing. None he tried seemed to work, which he believed was due to the conflicting high frequency sounds. Perhaps his violin, an instrument of lower pitch, would yield a better result? A hypothesis to be tested in the morning, he thought. He slithered into the tent, zipping it shut as he shut his eyes with a smile. He didn't have to worry about Magnemite wandering off, as there weren't any Electric pokemon around here that he knew of, being a stranger to Kanto. It wasn't too long before the bard fell asleep.

The next morning, sure enough, Monty awoke to the ever familiar frequency of Metal Sound. He counted himself fortunate that beings like Magnemite didn't require sleep. After tossing around in his bedroll for several minutes, there was a rumbling in his stomach which finally roused him from the tent. He unzipped it, stumbling out of it and rising to his feet. He stretched himself out, wincing as he felt his joints crack and snap like a rickety bridge.

"Aha, a lovely night it was, but alas, I am hungry."

The Magnemite ceased it's metallic ringing as it heard its companion speak, merely beeping as it acknowledged the fleshy ape's apparent hunger. As Monty finished his stretch, he took one look into his wallet, his brow furrowing.

"Mm.. would much rather save that for dinner. I guess there's no harm in scrounging up our own breakfast, yes? Let's go."

After a quick adjusting of his rather long hair, Monty took up his instruments, his bag, and beckoned his Magnemite to follow. His campsite remained deployed, as he would need the landmark. He trotted down the trail, further away from Viridian City, a plan in mind. Perhaps if he scattered some Pidgey or other small creature, Magnemite could deliver a death blow with Thundershock... but the first step, of course, would be to find one first.

 

[Polyblank]

Atlas hadn't had his night go well, as evident from being once again in the battered trial of the city's wilds. He had been sprung upon by a female officer of some sort who demanded to see his trainer ID. Atlas had never heard of such a thing, but was able to figure that the pokemon he travelled with weren't exactly allowed to be his unless he had some stupid piece of paper. He explained this, but despite his calm tone the officer seemed to take offense. This is why at around midnight Atlas was running down the nightlights of Veridian, sprinting towards the woods as a woman chasing him on a motorbike angrily flailed a baton. By the sheer luck of the forest being too thick for her gear, and her protective clothing too heavy to give foot chase, the officer threw her hands in the air exasperatedly, complaining that "Every other jenny doesn't have to deal with this ****...." As for Atlas, he stumbled across an old clearing and fell onto the ground, ready to throw up from the lack of food and his sprint. He almost did - but having nothing to throw up helps. So with tired, hungry eyes he fell asleep, his pokemon crowding around him so they would all share body warmth within the night.

As morning cleared the green forest canopy, Atlas yawned. Where was the sand yach-...oh. Grumbling, he rubbed his stomach, hoping he could come across some sort of grub - Though it would appear he didn't need to look, for Nincada had already stained his carapace with purple, guiltily revealing he'd found some sort of wild berry. While it wasn't exactly the safest meal, after a day without food Atlas would give anything a go. Popping some of the wild fruit into his mouth he scrunched his face at the bitter taste, but food was food.

Speaking of which, Atlas turned, his pokemon having caught sound of something large. He grinned - anything that this forest would throw at him he'd take right now, he could use something larger to bite on.

So Atlas didn't expect a human being and his magnemite to pop out of the woods, of all things.
DemetrioMachete ChoShadow

 

[ChoShadow]

______________________________________________________
Date: August 21, 2017
Location: Route 1, Kanto Region
______________________________________________________​

The next morning, Josephine and Tomoya took about an hour to lay out the plans for Tomoya to teach Venom how to scan from high above. It would be a relatively simple matter. Venom had proven capable of understanding human speech beyond simple commands in battle, and he knew how to observe and interpret Tomoya's primitive sketches in the dirt. So Tomoya would teach Venom how to fly higher and scan the environment by both telling him and drawing a basic picture in the dirt for him.

Tomoya was eager to try it, but Venom was nocturnal and sunlight would hurt his eyes. He'd have to wait for nightfall.

In the meantime, Josephine was finally free of him for a few hours at least. She managed to get him to agree to leave her alone to spend time with Torpius, but he only agreed after she admitted that she wanted to do so. He badgered her for the reason why she wanted to be left alone for almost ten minutes before she finally relented. She didn't let him see her blushing as she stormed off, leaving him back at camp laughing about how the "Black Rose" was actually a big softie for her first Pokémon.

When she was certain she was far enough away from Tomoya, she let Tropius out of her Poké Ball. The roughly 4' 6" Tropius was still large for being only about a year old, but Josephine, at 5' 11", still looked down at her young companion.

Tropius barked happily, sitting down in front of Josephine and looked at her expectantly. Josephine couldn't help but let a small, soft smile slip by her defenses as she reached out and stroked Tropius' head. Tropius closed her eyes and enjoyed the contact, gently rocking her head back and forth with Josephine following with the pet.

"Good girl." She cooed softly.

Tropius barked again, indicating her pleasure at the compliment.

She was quite smart. Josephine already had figured that much out given how responsive she was to basic sentences and commands she'd practiced issuing whenever Tomoya wasn't around. For being only one year old, Josephine had to presume that her knowledge of human speech was due to being raised by a professional breeder who regularly spoke to them. It seemed that many Pokémon species were capable of learning languages in the same way humans did. The more exposure they got earlier in life, the easier it was for them to understand it over time.

"I haven't told you your name yet, have I?" Josephine asked.

Tropius looked at her expectantly.

"I've decided to call you Koyo. Do you like it?" She asked.

Tropius blinked and then barked happily before standing up and walking forward nuzzling and licking Josephine who was quickly losing the calm and caring demeanor and regaining her defensive veil.

"Okay, okay. Calm down Koyo. Calm down!" She ordered.

Koyo didn't listen at first, and it took one more stern command to make her finally stop. When she did, Josephine praised her for stopping and began running through some of their basic battle drills. Listening to commands, responding quickly and efficiently, practicing evasion and side stepping maneuvers, etc. Josephine wanted Koyo to have every opportunity to make it through her first battles without getting hurt. She knew that Koyo would take hits. There was no way to avoid it. Especially against wild Pokémon who weren't required by law to battle on a turn by turn basis like Trainers were. But every advantage she could help give Koyo would help her in keeping safe during battle.

Meanwhile, Tomoya stayed at camp drawing a diagram in the dirt so it would be ready when nightfall came and Venom could come out and they could begin the lesson. He was eager to get started, but it was still midday so he had a while to wait. For now, his patience would have to be extended.

...

Later that day, Josephine and Koyo returned from their private training and joined Tomoya at the fireplace he had made for them. Koyo was tired and laid down next to Josephine almost as soon as the latter sat down on a log near the fire. Tomoya had already made them dinner using some of the processed food cans they'd bought and brought with them on their journey, and he passed Josephine her share which she ate quickly but daintily. He could tell she was hungry, but she wouldn't let him see just how hungry she was.

She'd forgotten to eat during training, and had exhausted herself during the course of the afternoon. She was starving, but she wouldn't give Tomoya anymore ammunition to use to tease her.

"So, Josephine. How did training go?" He asked.

She regarded him with a cold glance.

"Fine." She replied flatly.

Tomoya nodded with a chuckle as he looked to Koyo who was already fast asleep.

"So what's her name?" He asked.

He would keep asking, so she finally broke and told him.

"Koyo. That's a nice name! Good pick!" He said with a clap.

She huffed through her nose.

"It's going to be dark soon. Will you be ready to help me train Venom?" He asked.

She nodded.

"I'll be ready." She said.

He nodded.

"Coo!" He replied.

DemetrioMachete Polyblank

 

[DemetrioMachete]

The bard in green got low, as he heard keenly the sounds of nature around him. Now, all he needed to do was cause a panic. Send things running, knowing they couldn't outrun electricity. He took deep breaths, surveying what was around him. The first thing Monty's eyes tracked down was a decently sized rock; just smaller than his hand. He reached down and plucked it from the dirt, and, with a mighty heave, chucked it into the foliage. It landed with a heavy thud, and, much as he had hoped, several Pidgeys had scattered in panic. It was now, that Monty called to his Magnemite, pointing to the nearest Pidgey, which had the misfortune of flying right towards him.

"Right there! Thundershock!"

At this command, the Magnemite locked on to the poor bird. It's single, massive eye glared upon the thing, as its body began to crackle with power. There was a low boom, like distant thunder, as a jolt of lightning struck the Pidgey, sending it barreling into the ground at Monty's feet. He couldn't help but laugh in elation at the success of this paltry trick.

"Ah ha ha haa! Yeah-huh! That's the way we do things!" he boasted loudly with his light voice, reaching down to pick up the Pidgey, which twitched in his hands. He took a deep breath, owing to himself to end the creative's suffering as quickly as possible. He thought back to his days at Opelucid.. His father had a technique for quickly and humanely killing small birds, as unusual as it was. He wrapped his hand around the bird's neck, and wrung it as violently as he could, calming himself as it twitched no more.

As from and violent as it was, at least he had dinner now. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad for it.

"Youll get stronger one of these days, Magnemite. An' when you do, hunting won't be so bad, I guess."

The creature beeped as it floated above Monty's head, following him as he began walking back to his camp. It turned in all directions as it orbited around the bard's hat, ready to launch another bolt at anything that dared to lunge at the human which fed him. Anything that didn't approach... Magnemite wouldn't register immediately.

ChoShadow Polyblank

 

[Lux___Wolf]

- OLIVINE CITY, JOHTO -
It is night. Tan sits in a silent house among boxes and luggage, motionless for a few moments.
He stays still as if he is impaled. Like if he moves even an inch, he'd be jolted with pain.
His badge and gun lie on the table, identical to his late mother's. They were Officers Bridge.
Maybe it is a good thing she wasn't around to see the Department letting him go.

Grabbing a large backpack, Tan stands in agony at the tall mirror. He brightens, but falters.
His thin smile spreads widely again, fighting back the weight in his face. There you are, mom used to say.

At the open doorway, he looks back around the inside of this house. It is just that, a lifeless house.
A strong seabreeze floods in like a sigh, weaving around his body and playing with his brown hair.

Outside at the star-embroidered night, the Glitter Lighthouse beams and the SS. Aqua glows.
The Chief of Dept and several others huddle, looking on morbidly and so sad to see him go.
He grins, waving at them, as the Chief approaches him alone. Tan hands over the badge and the gun.

"Thank you for your duty," the Chief takes the badge and gun without making eye contact. "Ah, here. SS. Aqua ticket."

"Sir?" Tan checks to make sure. The Chief subtly nods with confidence, so he takes it. "You procured me a ticket..."

"A gift from me," says the Chief, eyes still averting. "Just keep it between us. You know my wife, Sharon.
Been nagging me to take her on the SS. Aqua for years. Years. Needling. Annd I tell her the same thing everyday:
'Tickets are pricey, honey... What's wrong with riding the back of a Lapras??' Annd you know what she said? She said:
'Thomas, if you won't take me on the SS. Aqua by the end of the year, I'll take myself.' So tell my wife, she'll self-destruct.
Explode, explode, explode, exactly like an Electrode."

Tan laughs with him, patting his back, "Much gratitude, Chief."

"You take care, Tan. You come on back, you hear."

From the SS. Aqua sloshing on sea, he waves cheering, "Whoo-hoo! I'm sovereign of the earth!!"

From the harbor, the neighbors he has known his entire life, whom he helps, whom helps him, stare on.
Their hands do not wave, and their voices do not call. They just watch the last Bridge sail farther and farther gone.

-VERMILLION CITY, KANTO-
Tan has already befriended an Old Gentleman with whom he delightfully conversed during the midnight ride on the SS. Aqua.
They have gone deep into comprehensive discourse about the magnificence and exquisiteness of all the Spearows and Fearows.
So delightfully, the Old Gentleman Jack offers him a direct flight to Pallet Town on his beloved Fearow. Surprised, Tan accepts his kindness.

"You'd actually do such a remarkable thing?" Tan asks.

"Ah, wait, kid. Until you've done it and seen it all, until you're as old as a coot as me. Only then you'll understand."

Tan gives that some thought. "Have you met my brother Teal?"

Old Gentleman Jack studies his face. "I don't believe I have... though, the name might ring a bell..."

The ship arrives to the harbor in Vermillion City, the morning chill quickly warming up with the glorious sun.
He can hear faint electricity crackling from the Gym, wondering what sorts of things go on in there.

It almost comes as familiar, this city. He hasn't been here in a while, since a child. Teal, his big brother, was born here.
This begins to grip his mind. He hasn't seen his brother in twelve years. Where is he now, and what has he done?

While waiting for Jack to finish up with his errands in Vermillion City that morning, Tan buys a .45 Colt semi-automatic from a gun shop.
It has cost a pretty penny, though. He isn't sure how much he has left to spend on Pokémon supplies. But still, he feels naked without one.
Examining it over, it's almost the same as the standard Officer's gun, except for its intricate and aesthetic exterior. It's pretty to gaze on.
The Officer's gun is more bare and plain, nothing pleasing to look at. This gun in his hand is kind of like a multi-faceted black flame.

With the safety on, he holsters it at his hip. Just as Old Gentleman Jack shows up, the man brings out the Fearow spreading out its wings.

"You ready to fly, ya wily rascal??" The Old Gentleman Jack roars with crazed laughter, his monocle falling to a dangle.

-PALLET TOWN, KANTO-
In a swoop of feather and shadow, Tan Bridge lands in front of the Pokémon Lab. He shouts at the shiny blue sky, "Much gratitude, Old Gent Jack!"
The hot August sun swelters, and in the thick humidity, the trees rustle their golden verdant trance. Sleepily, he enters the Lab.

Among the twittering consoles and machines, the potted plants and stacked papers, he finds Professor Oak in front of a fan.
The legend seems a bit shorter than he had heard, but that is all right. He is bonafide, and suave, that is for sure.
Prof. Oak turns concerned when he finds out that this man has never had a friendship with a Pokémon before.

He introduces himself, "Sir, I'm Tan Bridge. I was an Officer from Johto. Olivine City."

Oak sizes him up and asks no more. "I wish you the best of luck."

The test has been easy. He has passed, which satisfies the Professor. Carefully, Tan chooses his Pokémon.
Its Type is Steel, which to Tan, doesn't come as a surprise. But to find out how long he'd wait comes as a nasty shock.
Three summery days have gone by quicker than thought, his time spent learning how Pokéballs work and how Pokémon live.
He receives his Pokédex and starter, a Skarmory. He nicknames it Jet. Welcome to the world of Pokémon, the Professor tells him.

Spoiler: Skarmory

-ROUTE 1, KANTO-
The Skarmory blinks and ogles at him: "Skaaarm.."

Tan ogles back. The Skarmory's blade beak plunges and knifes the road, pecking. His lidded eyes leer at everything. His razor talons scratch up sand.
The guy recoils, almost afraid to touch Jet who jerks and moves at startling speed. The thought that Tan might accidentally cut himself replays on a loop.

"Hey there, Jet, buddy!" Tan grins and gives a thumbs-up. Jet ignores him, pecking along the gravel and asphalt, going "mor-ree, mor-ree..."
"That's all well and good, but there's not much to do in a remote place like this. We should be going, so um.. Get set, let's jet?"

Jet whips his head, fixing a judgmental stare upon him. Tan feels the wind knocked out of him.

"Wow, you insubordinate beast. Get back in your Pokéball!"

Tan tosses a Pokéball. The Skarmory leaps and dodges, running wildly with gray and red serrated wings spread out like an ostrich. But it is much too late.
The red Pokéball has made contact with the ground. A flash of white zaps Jet back into the capsule. It closes and shrinks. Rocking back and forth. Angrily.
The young man exhales with relief, picking up his first Pokémon, and stares wondrously at it. What a wild thing. The Pokéball still rattles back and forth. Eeek...

Will he even be good at this Training stuff? Tan nods. Yes, yes he most definitely will be the very best, like no one ever was...! ♪♬

He sprints ahead with his large backpack, dashing through patches of grass. Sometimes they rustle; he has run long gone.
But even running for hours, the sky has reddened. It is going to get dark. Just how far away was Viridian City?

Soon, it is night. He sees a campsite ahead with a fire going and a pair of Trainers with their Pokémon.
His heart starts banging. He pants and wheezes. Maybe they know his brother Teal...


ChoShadow

 

[ChoShadow]

Josephine and Tomoya had spent the better part of two full hours training Venom to fly up high and scan the surroundings for potential threats. The training hadn't gone well at first, as Venom had misinterpreted the information presented to him with just flying high and enjoying the view rather than scanning for threats. To help him figure it out, Josephine sketched an Ariados in her notebook and showed it to Venom telling him it is called a "threat". The memory of the Ariados attack from the other night was still fresh in Venom's mind as well as the pain from its bite. Venom seemed to get the message afterwards and the training managed to pick up and he got much better at identifying the "threats" Josephine and Tomoya set out for him.

When the training was over, Venom was recalled to his Poké Ball and Josephine and Tomoya sat down to eat dinner which was a pair of now freshly cooked Pidgey which Venom had gotten for them just after sundown when they were starting to go to sleep. With fresh meat on the fire and a stream nearby which gave them fresh water, the pair were set to enjoy their dinner when Josephine's sharp ears caught the sound of someone wheezing behind them.

She turned her head slowly and glared at the new arrival over her shoulder.

Tomoya looked over and smiled.

"Oh hey there! You wanna sit with us?" He asked.

Josephine shot Tomoya a glare, but then returned her gaze to her meal as she determined it was ready for eating.

Lux___Wolf

 

[Lux___Wolf]

Tan takes his seat next to Josephine and Tomoya and the fire. The aroma of grilled Pidgey makes his mouth nearly water, as closed as it is.
Indiscernible sounds in the night makes him glance nervously. The fire would pop now and then, bringing his attention back.

"Did you guys walk from Pallet Town too? Oh, I'm Tan Bridge. I hail from Johto."

He chews on an energy bar and sips whiskey from his flask. That would do until the morning where he and Jet would have a large breakfast.
From his backpack, he also brings out a tightly folded sleeping bag. It didn't look it, but it was thermal and designed for mountainous heights.

"Which Starters did you guys get? I decided on a Skarmory. The Olivine Gym influenced me, I guess."

ChoShadow

 

[ChoShadow]

The new arrival sat down near Josephine and Tomoya by the fire, clearly allured by the smell of their dinner. He seemed jittery. Josephine kept an eye on him in her peripherals as she slowly and calmly ate while Tomoya turned towards him.

"Yeah, we walked from Pallet. I'm Tomoya. And this beautiful bundle of joy and frowns is Josephine!" He said, gesturing to the silent woman eating her meal nearby while not making any direct eye contact.

"I started my journey a good while ago with a Zubat, which I named Venom. He's a Golbat now, and in fact we just finished a round of training to help him learn how to keep an eye out for threats while we sleep. He's resting in his Poke Ball right now though." Tomoya said, pointing to the first ball on his belt on the right side.

"So what's the story with you? You seem a bit winded. Did you run from something?" He asked, glancing back to where Tan had come from.

Lux___Wolf

 

[Lux___Wolf]

One glance at Josephine's beautiful bundle of joy and frowns is enough that Tan never looks her way again.
He listens to Tomoya, a gregarious man of the same cloth, and engages with an occasional nod and gesture.

"Nice, a vigil, that's handy to have," Tan calms his breathing. "Ah, that's nothing. I run all the time. I'm an Officer, I mean, I was."

He glances back too, even knowing he doesn't have to. "I think I was running towards something."

"Have you met my brother Teal? He's got teal hair, teal eyes."

ChoShadow